My sweet little boy is getting a teensy bit aggressive these days and suddenly I find that I am being bombarded with all sorts of advice that I don't want to accept.

For example, Adrian has started pulling hair. But not any hair, just my hair, and it hurts! He'll yank my hair — hard — and when I shout "Ouch!" he laughs and laughs and laughs. It has been suggested that I pull his hair in retaliation, "show him what it feels like," they say. Ummmm, no thank you.

One of Adrian's other favorite things to do to me is to bite. Again, he'll just come over to me, bite me, and laugh like crazy when I say "Ouch!" And those new teeth are sharp! It has been suggested that I bite him back. "Only way to stop a biter," they say.

And yet another one of his "new tricks" is smacking me. This one doesn't happen as often and usually only when I'm sleeping, but still....

I took him to the doctor last week for a physical. The doctor that we usually see was out, so we had to see the physician's assistant. While we were there he asked me if there had been any changes in his behavior. I said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, there has," and told him what I just told you all.

He said that I need to put him in a time-out chair whenever he does any of these things. I explained that I had tried that but that Adrian will just get up; he doesn't understand that he is supposed to stay there — he's only 16 months old. I told him that rather than using the chair, I use the playpen.

Well, the physician's assistant got a little forceful with me: "If he gets up from the chair then you spank him, he'll soon figure out that sitting there is better than being hit." He also reminded me that Adrian is a boy, that as a boy he will someday be bigger than me. He said, "You have to act as Mom and Dad. If you don't get him under control now, this boy is going to walk all over you for the rest of your life."

My sweet little boy? I think not.

I explained that I don't agree with hitting. I explained that I feel that Adrian is testing his limits, seeing what he can and can not get away with. As an adult, I am aware of my limits, one of which, is not hitting children. I believe that if you treat children with respect they will respect you back. I believe that hitting sends the wrong message: that it's okay to hit when you are frustrated.

So does anybody have any advice on how to curb this behavior that doesn't involve me hitting, biting, or pulling my son's hair?